Explosives are 97 percent of business. Known as Old Hickory, the plant employed 30, men, and women. DuPont built nearly 4, houses, apartments, hotels, schools, churches, theaters and hospitals, as well as 1, buildings for the plant. Jackson Laboratory is built at Deepwater, N. DuPont forms a joint venture with a French company for the development of the new synthetic "rayon. Working with Alfred P. Sloan at GM, du Pont introduces the "line and staff" organizational structure, a modified military model.
Later, it is introduced at DuPont and becomes a model for American Companies. The company also begins selling film to Hollywood for motion pictures; it wins two Academy Awards for the making and processing of motion picture film.
Duco paint and wood lacquers are introduced. DuPont Cellophane Co. At the insistence of Charles M. Stine, the company approves a basic research program that would be protected from business and economic swings.
Harvard University's research genius, Wallace Hume Carothers, is lured away to head the polymer research program at the Experimental Station.
In the midst of the Great Depression, the company lays off 4, of its 35, employees as net income drops 30 percent. DuPont buys the Newport Chemical Co. Forms the Krebs Pigmen and Color Corp. DuPont's product mix was now 95 percent non-explosives. The company launches a public relations campaign and the slogan "Better Things for Better Living Through Chemistry" debuts on the weekly radio show "The Cavalcade of America.
The company applies for a patent for Carothers' Fiber 66, "a new silk" made of chemicals. It is the first completely man-made fiber. Twenty days after the patent is filed, Carothers commits suicide in a Philadelphia hotel by ingesting cyanide. Carothers, who suffered from depression and carried a cyanide capsule on his watch chain, had told friends the discovery of both synthetic silk and synthetic rubber was "enough for one lifetime.
It won't see consumer applications for decades. The city calls itself the "Nylon Capital of the World. DuPont produces record volumes of smokeless powder and TNT. It also makes nylon yarn for parachutes. DuPont builds 54 plants at 32 locations for the war effort. The government asks DuPont to participate in the top secret Manhattan Project.
DuPont built a city to support the works. The U. Supreme Court hears more antitrust matters related to DuPont than any other company. DuPont's three cases constitute 15 percent of the major antitrust rulings. The Village of DuPont became the town of DuPont on March 13, , but it was not formally incorporated as a town until April 15, , following the offer of the company to sell the residences to their occupants on March 29, It is of interest to note that by , all but 3 of the formerly company owned houses had been sold to their occupants.
Plant capacity in was rated a total of 18,, pounds per year. The development of the facility continued in November of when the construction of a black powder mill was started. This addition was completed on October 8, The first production run of the newly completed black powder mill totaled kegs of the explosive for delivery to waiting customers.
The black powder mill produced standard commercial black powder for blasting purposes as well as fuse, sporting and fireworks type powders. Production of black powder at DuPont continued right up to the ending days of WWII, with the last day of such work taking place on May 16, During October of capacity of the plant was again expanded.
The 3 combined Nitrator and Separator, the 3 Neutralizing House, and additional jelly cartridge house, a nitric acid recovery concentrator were built. And a recovery unit was added to the already large number of facilities being used for the production of explosives at the site.
In March of , a small nitrostarch production facility was added to expand the range of products produced by the plant. In the meantime, the capacity of the original dynamite plant at DuPont was expanded in to increase production capacity to the grand total of 40,, pounds per year.
During the First World War, the site produced not only explosives for domestic consumption but also turned out large quantities of nitrate of ammonia for military purposes. Following the war, the plant was destined to convert wartime explosives back into products suitable for civilian use. The first production run of Pyrotol was made on September 4, This explosive was made from surplus stocks of sodium nitrate and smokeless powder left over from WWI.
Another product made from stocks of war surplus explosives during the same years was named Sodatol. This explosive was made from left over stocks of TNT and nitrate of soda.
During the years in which these government owned stocks of surplus explosives were being converted into products suitable for civilian use, the U. Harold P. The years during which the reprocessing of war surplus explosives was accomplished represent one of, if not the busiest period of activity for the narrow gauge train. Much if not all of this material was delivered to the plant by ship and the narrow gauge cats and locomotives were employed in the previously unusual task of being loaded on the upgrade run from the pier to the top of the bluff and the explosives storage magazine areas located there.
That estimate has turned out to be low. Two PFAS cases settled in and paid out roughly that amount. Corteva, which absorbed the old DuPont businesses that had not been spun off to Chemours, continues to maintain that PFAS liabilities will not be meaningful. While the company could incur liabilities related to PFAS, "any such liabilities are not expected to be material," it told shareholders in a February filing.
The DuPont plant near Pedricktown where Robin Andrews' father and grandfather both worked is still active. It's owned by the DuPont spin-off, Chemours, which now makes lubricants and other products there. The company is still a dominant presence in this chunk of South Jersey.
DuPont's headquarters are just 10 miles away, across the river in Wilmington. Andrews, who works at a local pharmacy, says she's not the only person in town with an elaborate filtration system on her water supply. She says she sees them being installed at other people's houses when she's out walking her dog. She says she also sometimes runs into neighbors who question why she's making a fuss about DuPont's liability.
But she says she believes PFAS chemicals caused her illness and she wants to hold the company accountable. Said Robin, "My hair has started to fall out on the top. I take thyroid medicine every day, and I live at the dentist. The whole thing is very difficult. But a lot of people have it way worse. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Politics Covid U. News World Opinion Business. Share this —.
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